The Ultimate Hope
by hunterofcomedy
Summary: The diligence and bond between the students of Hope's Peak Academy was far stronger than the mastermind could have ever imagined. The killing game should have gone exactly as planned…but time passed quicker than expected. With no murders occurring, the mastermind began to get desperate…especially since the game began over 5 years ago!


The Ultimate Hope

Warning: Spoilers. Alternate timeline where none of the killing occurred and the students instead chose to live peacefully in the school.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dangan Ronpa, its character or the world. Those belong to the Spike Chunsoft and its affiliates.

* * *

 **At the Start of the Killing Game:**

"You must kill someone if you want to leave. It's as simple as that."

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing, smugly chided into the microphone on the desk.

In front of her, she watched the monitors closely, catching every student's reaction as she spoke through the devilishly fiendish Monokuma. From her seat in the observation room, high up on the fourth floor of Hope's Peak Academy, she felt god-like as she held her former classmates lives in the palm of her hand.

Brushing her long pink locks away from her face, she smiled maliciously as she watched her class slowly begin to descend into the depths of despair.

With a flick of a switch, she recalled Monokuma, clicking the off button on her mic as she did so. She tried to hold in her excitement but found herself leaping from her chair and ecstatically hopping round the room.

"Oh, yes, yes, yes! This is what I waited for! After years of planning and careful proceedings, the ultimate battle of despair vs. hope has finally begun!" she gleefully shouted, plopping back down into her seat and staring intently at the monitors.

The fear and panic spread out across her classmates faces made her mouth water and she could barely contain her ecstasy, her hands roaming over her despairingly sensitive body. She knew, from this moment on, all that awaited her was the pure bliss of despair as he former friends slaughtered each other to return to a world that had already ended!

The irony alone was enough to make her salivate and it was only going to get more interesting from here on out!

"It'll only be a matter of time before someone gives in…I bet they don't even go two days without someone's guts redecorating the walls!"

* * *

 **One Week into the Game:**

"Okay, seriously, what the hell?"

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing, was getting irritated.

One week into the game and absolutely no one had committed murder yet. On the contrary, they seemed to be…adjusting, to their new life here in the school; which made no sense since she'd provided the perfect first motive for the students!

The DVDs she'd provided all of them _should_ have provoked at least one of them into committing murder. Seriously, there was some shit in those video's that would make Junko blanch! And she'd seen a Vegas donkey "show" without so much as flinching! So…how in the hell was no one dead yet!

Sayaka seemed like she was going to snap at one point and be the one to get the game rolling, particularly after seeing her band-mates lying lifelessly on the ground in her DVD. However, she lost her nerve to kill Leon when, after tricking him into coming to Makoto's room, she tripped and dropped the knife she'd planned to kill him with. And Leon, instead of being pissed and vengeful about being manipulated by her, just _had_ to have the freaking hots for her and ending up making out with her instead of penetrating her with six inches of steel!

"This is not going as I had planned," Junko complained, tapping her fingers on her desk, boredom setting in quickly. "I guess…I'll just have to use my ace in the hole."

Turning her head, she let a despair-inducing grin overtake her lips as she focused her attention to a monitor that displayed her sister, Mukuro Ikusaba, sitting at the desk in her room, cleaning her firearms.

* * *

 **Two Weeks into the Game:**

"Stupid, stupid, stupid!"

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing, had seriously fucked up.

Mukuro Ikusaba, the Ultimate Soldier, her ace in the hole, her beloved and trusted sister, had completely sided against her! And what stung the most was that, Junko had brought it all upon herself!

Using Monokuma as a medium, she had gone to her sister's room to talk about the fact that no one was a bloody corpse yet. And at first, it was going swimmingly! Her beloved sister Mukuro, although slightly reluctant, for reasons Junko couldn't fathom, agreed to be the one to pull the trigger (literally if necessary), in order to get the killing game going. However, before she completely agreed to murder someone, the Ultimate Soldier had a single question to ask of her sister.

"So, after I kill someone, you'll pull me from the game using the trap-door in the gym, right?"

It was a simple enough question that got an equally simple answer.

"Oh, silly Mukuro, then the trial wouldn't be fair and the rules would be violated. But don't worry, I've taken the necessary precautions…and set up an elaborate and despair inducing execution for you, should you fail to cover up your crime properly that is…"

…

…

The backlash of answering that question with such brutal honesty was far more devastating than Junko could have predicted. Apparently, being betrayed by the only person she cared for was a turn off for the Ultimate Soldier…

Mukuro practically flew into a rage, firing several rounds at the mechanical bear, all of which Junko barely managed to dodge. Once she'd wasted all of her bullets, the Ultimate Soldier cursed so furiously that a sailor would blush before defiantly declaring that she would never trust or be associated with her sister ever again.

And just like that, Junko had lost her sister…not to execution or murder…but to her own honest nature.

"Why?…Why?…Why?…Why?…Why?…Why?…Why?…" Junko chanted as she repeatedly banged her head against the wall, regretting her stupid choice.

Abruptly ceasing her head-banging, the despair loving girl was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea. Dashing away from the wall and speeding toward the Monokuma control room, a crafty smile dared to grace Junko's lips as she took her seat at the control panel.

"Change of plans! Let's see how Miss Ogami feels about her precious dojo being defaced by the magnificent Headmaster Monokuma!"

This time, she wouldn't foul it up! She'd have the perfect puppet to get the killing game started!

 **Two Weeks and Three Days into the Game:**

* * *

"Honor is bullshit!"

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the Mutual Killing Game, had underestimated that outdated notion.

As expected, Sakura Ogami was easy enough to bend to her whims. The muscle-bound martial artist would do _anything_ to protect her dojo, the pride and joy of her family…even though it had already been burned to the ground…but Sakura didn't need to know that!

Using this as leverage, Junko finally had the perfect tool for murder. Not even Mukuro would be able to stop the Ogre, especially since the Ultimate Soldier had no idea that Sakura was now in her employ! In fact, Junko had half a mind to order her new mole to target "Miss Enoshima", as vengeance for her sister's betrayal.

However, before she could even issue a proper command to her new tool, it seemed that the protein obsessed woman had a change of heart! She called all of her fellow classmates to the gym and announced that Monokuma had contacted her in secret, trying to force her to be a mole.

Junko speculated that it had to be because Sakura had rekindled her forgotten friendship with Asahina, or maybe it had just been a bad choice to try and get the most honorable and loyal person in the whole group to turn against all of them…yeah, that definitely was probably a factor in the decision but it wasn't Junko's fault!

"She was the one who had the most to lose! Her family's pride was on the line! How the hell would I know it was more honorable to protect her friends rather than her family's stupid legacy!?" Junko reasoned with herself, feeling utterly powerless at the moment.

However, that feeling didn't last long as she turned her gaze over to a pile of envelopes sitting on the nearby desk. A sense of calm slowly began to fill her as she realized that she was far from finished yet.

"Let's see how those bastards handle their dirtiest secrets being revealed…on national television!"

Although it wasn't as menacing as before, a maniacal grin overtook her lips as she prepared to hand out the next motive.

* * *

 **Three Weeks into the Game:**

"Just swing the goddamn dumbbell, you ass!"

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing, couldn't trust a man to do a woman's job.

Mondo Owada, who had the perfect chance to keep his secret safe by bashing in the cross-dressing Chihiro's brains, copped out at the last second. He dropped the dumbbell to his side and broke down into tears like a little bitch, begging for the girly-boy to forgive him. Which, _of course_ , she…he…it… _Chihiro_ did in record freaking time!

After that, the two of them woke up everyone, even though it was in the middle of the freaking night, and convinced all of them to spill their guts on what their secrets were! Even Celeste, who only revealed that her moniker 'may or may not be her true name'! Everyone was just _so_ freaking inspired by the fact that these two had the courage to come forward with their secrets, that they all swore not to keep anything from each other ever again.

"I…I think I'm…gonna hurl…!" Junko wheezed between shaky breaths. "Not…enough…angst!"

All this hopeful crap was bad for her health! She needed a double heaping helping of despair…and soon! Luckily, the huge bag on her desk, containing 10 billion yen, was just the ticket to trigger at least one of those bastards to go into despair relapse!

"No one can resist the call of the all powerful cash cow!"

* * *

 **One Month into the Game:**

"I am gonna light you on _fire_ …bitch."

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing, tossed another roll of bills into a trash fire she'd constructed.

Of all the greedy and self-serving people in the world, Celestia Ludenberg put them all to shame. Or at least she would have, if she hadn't let herself be infected by the growing notion of hope that altered her judgment! So much planning, so much thought going into a single solitary goal…shattered when the gothic dressing bitch decided that "friendship was worth more than money".

"What a load of bullshit! Hacks! I call hacks!" a furious Junko screamed at the screen in front of her. "You were sooooo close! I thought I could finally push the button!"

Junko pouted as she glanced over to a large red button labeled: Body Discovery Announcement.

She could do nothing as Celeste, who had already stuffed Yasuhiro into a locker, with the help of Hifumi, had a sudden change of heart and stopped her partner from bludgeoning some much needed sense into Kiyotaka's rule obsessed head! The gambler immediately turned herself over to her classmates, admitting fully to her plot. However, like the vegetable brains that they were, they instantly forgave her. She even revealed her true name to them and professed her affection for that fat anime nerd, right there on the spot!

Unlike last time, Junko really did vomit, right into the fiery trashcan, which helped put out the flames.

"All this…uhg…hopefulness! I feel like…I'm gonna…hyurp…throw up sparkles and rainbows!"

Wiping away a trail of bile that slid down her chin, Junko straightened herself up and hardened her features.

"There's still one more chance…I just need some pepper and I can call forth the almighty Murderous Fiend!"

* * *

 **Two Months into the Game:**

"…I can't…I just can't…"

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing, lost all semblance of word use.

The long awaited moment had almost been upon her, Toko had been pelted with a gigantic ball of pepper (courtesy of Monokuma's miniature catapult) and a sneeze so massive and magnificent had followed. And standing in her place, was none other than Genocide Jack…err…Jill…Syo…whatever the hell she called herself, she was gonna cut a bitch!

And that bitch just happened to be Byakuya Togami, who had been peacefully reading a book in the library. As usual, Toko had been stalking him but now that seemingly harmless practice would be what triggered the killing game's start! And now that she was alone, in a room with a beautiful young man (just her type), there was sure to be a magnificent cruxific—oh, what the fucking shit was she doing?!

Instead of mercilessly raining down a torrent of deadly scissors, the established serial killer flung herself at her "Master" and professed her undying loyalty and love! Caught off guard, with a horrified look on his face, Byakuya tried to bat her away but she latched both arms and legs around him, shouting that she was so happy to…finally…meet…him…

"This isn't a fucking romance novel! Stab him!" Junko had shouted, her face inches from the monitor. However, her pleas went unheard and unanswered as the serial killer continued to snuggle up to her "Master".

Apparently, Toko had been writing messages to her other self about the situation, explaining all that was happening, how she'd found "their" prince charming, and that they should be able to _share_ him! And judging by the nauseating display the Murderous Fiend was showing, she obviously approved of sharing him with her puny Fukawa side!

Soon, everyone rushed in to see if Byakuya was okay…and while physically he was, someone commented that his mental fortitude had probably taken a hit. He stood there, with Genocide Jack…Jill…Syo… _the scissor cutty-cutty bitch_ stilling hanging off him, demanding everyone's assistance.

A round of laughter followed as the other students questioned Scissor Cutty-Cutty Bitch. She explained herself as a changed killer that wanted only to live peacefully with her prince charming…or she'd cut a bitch (which she should have done by now but the power of fem-boners stopped her!).

And while it wasn't instant, the rest of the class slowly got used to it, considering that she meant no harm and that Toko was in control most of the time.

Even Byakuya, who was in perpetual despair due to Toko's constant _affection_ , was still able to deal with it and enjoy his time with everyone…somewhat. Sure, he avoided Toko like the plague in most instances but he was still a-fucking-live and that's what was bullshit!

"No more…I've had enough of this lovey-dovey fuckery!" Junko shouted, pulling open a drawer and retrieving a file from the desk in the observation room.

"Alright, no more Miss-Nicely-Patiently-Waiting-For-You-All-To-Kill-Each-Other! It's time I brought out the big guns!" she screamed at no one, opening the folder with tab after tab of murder motivation ideas.

* * *

 **Four Months into the Game:**

"Nothing…I've got nothing…"

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing, was running out of ideas.

Two whole months of trying motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after motive, after mother fucking motive!

And nothing had worked!

…

…

Motive # 12 – The Promise of Eternal Youth:

Having developed a skin crème that could keep her looking fresh and young for several years, Junko decided that she could use that as motive for some of the vain girls in the group. However, she knew this one would fall flat on its ass because at least one of the students would point out that eternal youth wasn't much use when it didn't provide immortality.

Junko realized how stupid the idea was and abandoned it before presentation.

…

…

Motive # 34 – Lifetime Passes to Disneyland:

This one also was doomed for failure as everyone pointed out that Disneyland was only fun when they could all be there together, so killing each other was counter-productive. Angrily agreeing with them, Junko got a kick out of forcing them to watch as she burned all the tickets right in front of them.

Mondo, in particular, cried manly tears at the sight but kept his composure, standing upright and letting the tears roll down his cheeks.

Although another failure, Junko decided that his tears had satiated her despair fetish for the time being.

…

…

Motive # 68 – Never Having to Pay Taxes Again:

Junko had no idea how this one could fail…until the students pointed out that, currently, they weren't paying taxes or anything anyway. A face-palm followed this gracious oversight on her part.

…

…

Motive # 152 – I'll Give You A Cookie:

Yeah, she was obviously getting desperate but she tried it nonetheless. To her horror, upon revealing a delicious chocolate chip cookie as the prize for murder, the students informed her that Yasuhiro had been baking creating his "Special Brownies" for everyone for the last month or so.

Shocked at this development, the bear asked how Kiyotaka was responding to this, to which he shrugged and said, "Putting in those special oregano leaves seems to make everyone so happy. So, I don't see the issue."

"Its pot leaves, you moron!" Monokuma had shouted at him while flailing its arms frantically.

"Oh no, sir. That can't be true. My friends would never lie to me," Kiyotaka insisted, smiling at his friends, all of whom nodded firmly.

"B-But…but that's not…they totally lying—", the bear had tried to say but was cut off again.

"I refuse to believe anything you say! You're just trying to get me to turn on my friends! I will never let that happen!" the Ultimate Moral Compass insisted, turning his back on Monokuma and striding away.

With its mouth hanging open, Monokuma stood in utter shock.

"It was a necessary lie," Kyoko had followed up, a slight grin on her lips. "At least it keeps him from murdering Yasuhiro."

A ferocious scream erupted from Junko as she heard that, slamming her fist into the monitor before her. The one _fucking_ time she was telling the truth and it was turned against her! Those bastards were outsmarting her at her own twisted game!

"I'm not giving up yet! I've got plenty more to go!" Junko vowed, looking over her folder once more.

…

…

Motive # 289 – Begging:

"Pleeeeease! Just kill someone! I want it! I want it, I want it, I want it!"

Unfortunately, complaining and shouting how much Monokuma wanted murder to happen didn't achieve its goal. He also didn't achieve Super-Saiyan this way, proving that life was completely unfair and that the internet could be wrong!

…

…

And finally…Motive # 374– Offering to De-virginize the Virgin Students:

This one had failed because, in her desperation to get someone to kill, Junko had forgotten that, while _she_ was an irresistible fashion model with all the T &A any man or woman could want…Monokuma was decidedly not! She'd given the offer while controlling the half and half bear and everyone thought that it meant that if they killed someone, they'd have to sleep with Monokuma!

Everyone fervently declined that nasty offer.

Not only that, Makoto, in his infinite wisdom, convinced everyone that they should probably lose their virginity so as not to be tempted by the offer, in case the mastermind found a supermodel or something. So yeah, there was a period of two or three days where EVERYONE got laid!

The pairings were as follows:

Makoto and Kyoko, Sayaka and Leon, Hifumi and Celeste, Asahina and Yasuhiro (yeah, didn't see that coming).

After that, Mukuro, still in the guise of Junko, paired with both Mondo and Chihiro. This was because Chihiro, while identifying as a woman, was sexually attracted to females (big shock there…)

The hardest to get done was Kiyotaka, who demanded that he be married before he consummated with anyone. And, being the amazingly strong woman that she was, Sakura got down on one knee and proposed. They had a makeshift wedding with Alter Ego, who had been created by Chihiro during spare time, serving as a priest.

So yeah, Kiyotaka and Sakura (if there was still an internet that one would have gone there).

The only two that remained virgins were Byakuya and Toko. Because, as Byakuya so lovingly put it, "Don't stick your dick in crazy." And it seemed that, as long as her Master wasn't getting laid with anyone else, Toko was totally happy to wait for him…forever if need be.

…

…

"This isn't despair…this is just disappointment," Junko muttered to herself, tossing her now useless file aside, every single motive crossed out as a failure.

* * *

 **Five Months into the Game:**

"Dish jush ishn't worhing!"

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing, stuffed her face with junk food as she pouted.

Piles of candy wrappers and cheese puff containers littered the observation room, a sign that Junko was slowly losing her grip on sanity. She hadn't talked to any of the students in over a month, and when she did try and send Monokuma out to try and motivate them, they simply ignored the half and half bear!

This was mainly because Kyoko Kirigiri, who had the most extensive memory wipe, was slowly regaining her memories. Not everything mind you but she remember who she was and that her father had been the headmaster. And while she was dedicated to discovering if her father was the one controlling Monokuma, she didn't feel the need to take the risk to find that truth. After all, she'd found friendship and companionship in Makoto, making her happier than she had ever realized was possible.

Following her example, all of the students began to give up on leaving the school at all. After all, they had unlimited amounts of food and water, companionship with their fellow classmates, and since they were all incredibly talented, there was never a shortage of fun activities they could come up with.

And the freaking lynch-pin was, of course, Makoto "Too Goddamn Hopeful" Naegi! It seemed that every chance he got, the little bastard was standing atop his soap box, preaching about how they needed to stay united and not give in to the mastermind's taunts. It would have been endearing…if it wasn't so freaking cliché and a complete detriment to everything Junko had planned!

Seeing everyone having so much fun on all the monitors…Junko began to sob violently as she choked down another chocolate bar.

"It's…it's not fair!" she shouted, wiping away her ever flowing tears. "I just…I just wanted my closest friends to murder each other in horrifying ways! Was that too much to ask for?!"

As the sounds of her classmates happy laughter echoed from the monitors, her wailing sobs became her only lullaby.

* * *

 **Six Months into the Game:**

"I'm done…game over, man. Game over…"

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing, had one last idea that could truly make her classmates feel the biting sting of despair.

She brushed her long pink hair and tied it up in pig-tails, clipping on her Monokuma hair clips to hold them up. She then applied foundation and mascara, and even put on a thin layer of lipstick. After her make-up was in place, she slung her arms through a dark purple designer blouse, buttoning it up swiftly.

Next, she pulled up her red plaid (incredibly short) mini-skirt, fastening it to her waist. Sitting down, she lifted her long, slender legs and pulled up her black socks, only to hide them within the tall designer boots she tugged on afterwards. And finally, she slung her despair tie (half white and half black with a red cross circle in the center of it) over her head and let it loosely hang between her cleavage.

Taking one last look at herself in the full body mirror she had placed in the Monokuma control room, the despair loving girl winked at herself and smiled for the first time in so long. She was now ready to enact her final plan…and she'd look fabulous while doing it!

"It's punishment time…bitches!"

* * *

 **Meanwhile, in the cafeteria:**

"So, whose turn is it to cook breakfast today?" Makoto asked his friends as they all arrived for the morning breakfast meeting. It was a tradition now, one that all of them gladly accepted.

"Byakuya, I think?" Asahina replied, taking her seat next to Yasuhiro.

"Very well then," the Ultimate Affluent Progeny scoffed, rolling up his sleeves. "What does everyone want this time? And Mondo, I swear, if you ask for pancakes one more time—".

"I like 'em light and fluffy, buddy!" Mondo cheekily cut him off, grinning as he sat between Chihiro and Kiyotaka.

A vein nearly popped in Byakuya's head but before he could muster up a grand comeback, the doors to the cafeteria burst open. Startled, everyone shot up from their chairs and stared at the open doorway. From the darkness beyond (which was odd because the lights should have been on) a figure all too familiar to them stepped into the light.

"Was-sup, bitches!"

A collective gasp erupted as what appeared to be an even bustier and more ravishing Junko Enoshima appeared in the doorway. All of them were shocked to see her, but none more so than the Junko that was sitting at a nearby table, jaw dropped almost down to the table.

There was hardly time for silence before Yasuhiro shrieked in terror, pointing frantically at the new arrival. "N-N-N-No! It's a d-doppelganger! Quick, we have to hide Junko before they physically touch, or else they'll both disappear forever!"

What the fortune-teller failed to notice was that, while he was screaming like a madman, the new Junko walked over to 'their' Junko and placed a hand on her shoulder. When he finally looked over, he yelped loudly and started chanting a mixture of different kinds of prayers.

"I have an announcement!" Junko shouted to everyone, completely ignoring Yasuhiro's idiocy. Without warning, she grabbed 'their' Junko's hair and gave a fierce tug. Surprisingly, at least for them, the hair came right off, revealing a head of sweaty black locks on 'their' Junko's head.

Tossing away the pink wig, Junko grinned and proclaimed, " _I_ am the real Junko Enoshima! And this is my twin sister, Mukuro Ikusaba! Yes, we have different family names. Yes, we're blood related. And yes, _we_ are the ones who trapped you all in here!"

The real Junko let out a deep cackling as chaos erupted around her. All of the students began shouting questions or protests, ranging from "How can that be possible?" to "Does that mean you two shower together?" (the latter question was posed by Mondo). As all of their panicked voices mixed into an amalgamation of sounds, Junko held up a hand to usher them into silence.

It took a moment for them to recognize the gesture but quickly enough, they all fell silent.

"I understand that you have a shit ton of question but I don't really care about answering them…plus it'd take too freaking long," Junko said with a minor sigh. "Instead, how about I tell you the story about how, and I suppose why, my lovely sister and I trapped you all here?"

Begrudgingly, the students decided to hear what the new Junko had to say. Pulling out a set of dolls that exactly like each of the students, Junko began to tell the story of the World's Most Despair Incident via a puppet show.

-20 Minutes Later—

"Any questions?" Junko rhetorically asked, grinning like a fiend as she finished.

"Yeah…but first…that puppet doesn't look like me at all!" Mondo abruptly spoke up, his comment followed by another round of furious questions.

A vein twitched in Junko's head as, unfortunately for her, the puppet show had failed. Even so, most of the students had the general gist of what had transpired but some of the slower ones (not going to mention who) were still trying to comprehend it all. That is, until Mukuro stood up and said, "Short version; my sister and I caused the apocalypse and Junko thought it would be fun to make you all murder each other because despair is her fetish."

A collective "ah" of understand echoed and Junko's jaw dropped in shock.

"That's all it took for you to understand the brilliance of my plans!" she shouted in surprise but no one seemed interested in her any more. Growing more and more infuriated, she folded her arms and prepared to execute her final strategy.

"Alright then, now that all of _that crap_ is out of the way, let's get on to the main event!" the despair loving girl proclaimed, letting a menacing smirk overtake her lips.

"What main event?" Byakuya questioned with a raised eyebrow.

With a despairingly-happy smile Junko flung open her arms and said, "The Final Motive! I rewrote the computer system so that the only way for the school doors to open is if the 'Headmaster' dies. I also destroyed the controls so that this can't be overridden. And since I currently am that 'Headmaster', if you want to get out of the school, all you have to do is kill… _me_!"

…

…

Of all the things that could have happened, Junko hadn't expected a heavy silence to be one of them. She had expected them to brutally torture or outright strangle her, inflicting so much lovely despair as they finally became murderers. And she would experience the ultimate despair of death, so it was a win-win for her! She was certain that this motive would finally be the one to cause the hopeful students to fall into the depths of despair.

That is, until the classmate she hated more than any other stepped forward.

"Why would we want to do that?" Makoto asked, completely serious and almost unbelieving.

"Uh…to get the hell out of here, ya dumb bastard!" Junko fired back, almost snarling at him.

"Well, I mean, why do you think we want to leave?" he answered plainly.

"…Huh?" A look of genuine shock overtook Junko's features, her arms slowly falling down to her sides. "Well, you all want to leave and junk…right?"

"Not really," Mondo answered, nervously scratching his head. "You said that all of our family and friends are dead. So there's nothing really to go back to."

"Plus, if the world really is as screwed up as you said it was, then I'd rather stay here where it's safe," Asahina added, earning nods from multiple people.

"Oh yeah, the world's in complete chaos," Mukuro affirmed, earning another death glare from her sister. "Frankly, it'll never be as nice and comfortable as it would be just staying here."

Junko's hands balled into fists, her red nails digging into her skin as Mukuro knowingly grinned at her. Just as her rage was about to boil over, the voice of reason returned, as hopeful as ever.

"Wait a second, let me see if I've got this straight," Makoto suddenly spoke up, causing everyone to turn to him and listen intently, much to Junko's frustration. "So, the person we knew as Junko is actually Mukuro. You two switched at the beginning of the game?"

Finally feeling that things were getting back on track, Junko smirked and replied, "That's right!"

"And the two of you used to be classmates of ours—no, we were all classmates and we've lost two years worth of memories?"

"Uh-huh!"

"So we all used to be the closest of friends and were the only survivors from Hope's Peak?"

"Eh…more or less. There were some others but they're all on the outside…"

"Then after the World's Most Despairing Incident, you trapped us in the school, which was converted into a shelter, am I right?"

"Yes!"

"Then that means that…in a way, we were all saved because of you."

"Exact—wait, what?!" Junko shrieked as she tried to comprehend his words. "How does _anything_ I've been doing translate to _me_ saving _you all_?!"

As soon as the question was asked, the despair loving girl instantly regretted it. A shimmer appeared in Makoto's eyes, as if he'd pieced some mental puzzle together, and a strangely hopeful aura began to surround him.

"Think about it," he began, gesturing around at everyone. "If what you're saying is true, then none of us would have survived long in the outside world. But, by forcing us to stay in here, you have kept us safe from the dangers of the outside."

"W-W-Wha? That's not—," a flustered Junko tried to respond but was cut off.

"That _is_ a good point," Mukuro agreed, smirking devilishly at her panicking sister. "Junko practically _insisted_ that none of you ever get out of here, because the outside world is so very dangerous."

Junko wanted nothing more than to bitch slap her sister for giving power to Makoto's theory but didn't have the opportunity before the hopeful bastard continued.

"And because of that, you've given us a place where we don't have to fear for our lives, food and water is seemingly limitless, and we have each other to keep us company! It's the perfect shelter that you, Junko, won't let us escape from!"

Gritting her teeth so hard she thought they might crack, Junko lost her composure as she countered, "That's only because I wanted to instill despair by making you kill each other! I don't care if any of you live or die, as long as there's despair to be gained from it!"

"But is that really the case?" Makoto questioned, staring her down.

"Of course! Why else would I give you all _so many freaking motives_ , if I didn't want you to mutilate each other?!" the despair loving girl insisted.

Without any hesitation, Makoto narrowed his eyes and replied, "Are you sure it wasn't to strengthen our bond as classmates and force us to work together to overcome a mutual problem?"

"What?! NO! That is not what I wanted at all!" Junko furiously denied, slamming her hands down on the table in front of her. "I wanted to see—!"

"All of us overcome our fears and become stronger people for them! You did that for us and we'll never forget it!" Sayaka interrupted, resting her head on Leon's shoulder, the ballplayer smiling bashfully as he kissed her on the forehead.

Almost gagging as she watched the sudden display of affection, Junko held in her lunch as she answered, "Okay, that's not what I was trying to say, dammit! What I wanted was for—!"

"All of us to work together and never giving into the motives, so that we would mature and become responsible adults! That's must have been it!" Kiyotaka abruptly chimed in, an arm lovely around his wife, Sakura's, midsection.

Horrified, Junko shook her head furiously and shouted, "No! No! I wanted—!"

"All of us to accept each other for who we really are, without any regrets!" Chihiro suddenly proclaimed, smiling up at Mondo, who tried to hide his embarrassment.

"God-dammit, no! I wanted—!" Junko tried to explain but was cut off again.

"All of us to be honest with ourselves and have the courage to accept our feelings," Celeste cut in, snuggling up to Hifumi with a true smile on her face.

"Firstly, you both can do better. Secondly—No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" Junko frantically shouted, beginning to lose her voice. "What I _really_ wanted was—!"

"Junko…it's okay. You don't have to pretend anymore."

The despair loving girl snapped her head over to Makoto as he spoke, that disgustingly hopeful smile plastered on his face. Practically snarling, she seethed, " _Pretend_? And just what the hell would I be _pretending_ to be doing?!"

With a warm smile, Makoto answered, "Pretending to be the villain. You obviously care a great deal about all of us, even if you won't admit it. And even _if_ you didn't intend to, you became our savior. You're a good person, Junko."

Those sugary words made Junko visibly gag and she choked down bile as she answered, "No…I am not…a good person. I am the mastermind! I did horrible things to all of you! Like erasing your memories—!"

"So that we wouldn't be depressed about the world having ended, we understand your intentions clearly," Makoto cut her off again. "Like I said, you don't have to pretend anymore—".

"I AM NOT PRETENDING!" Junko screamed, her voice cracking as she continued, "I am evil! I am the mastermind behind trying to kill you all and ending the world!" Snapping her head over, she pointed a furious finger as she shouted, "I killed Kyoko's dad! How can I _not_ be considered a villain!"

A heavy silence fell upon everyone as they all turned to Kyoko who, for the first time since arriving, had a hint of shock on her face. However, it quickly faded and she closed her eyes slowly, as if in thought.

At that moment, Junko dared to believe that she finally had convinced them…at least until Kyoko opened her mouth.

"Actually, I have no memories of my father…or mother…or anything about my family. I have complete amnesia."

A gasp resounded form everyone except for Junko and Mukuro, who waited patiently for her to continue.

"However," Kyoko said before walking directly over to Makoto. "I don't need those memories anymore. I've built new memories that are truly precious to me…"

A tender smile slowly spread over her lips as she reached out and grasped Makoto's hand, who smiled warmly back at her before lacing his fingers in with hers. A feeling of warmth spread out over the entire room at this display of affection…which made Junko's eyes widen and her jaw drop.

" _What?!_ " Junko shrieked, "This is so much bullshit! I kill your father and _that's_ all you have to say!"

"Well, how do we know that you really did kill him? You could just be lying in order to get us to hate you," Celeste pointed out, earning nods from everyone.

Thinking quickly, Junko spun around and stared at her sister, shouting "M-Mukuro! Back me up on this one! I totally stuffed her dad into a rocket and shot him into space!"

Before Mukuro had time to confirm or deny anything, a loud and disbelieving sigh escaped Byakuya before he said, "As if _you_ have the capability to do such a thing. Without someone powerful backing you up, which would be impossible in a time of the apocalypse, then there's no way that could possibly be true."

"Y-Yeah, and besides…that's just a stupid thing to suggest anyway!" Toko finally added to the conversation, hoping that Byakuya would at least look her way. He did, if only for a second, and she almost fainted in joy.

By this time, Junko's will had almost completely broken and, whether she wanted them to or not, hot tears began streaming down her cheeks.

"No…this isn't…I'm…I'm…I'm the villain! I'm evil! I'm the mastermind! I do horrible things for fun and I enjoy them! You should all hate me and kill me just to get out of here! Why the hell won't you give me the despair I've worked so hard for?!"

"…Because you haven't give us any despair," Makoto almost immediately answered, making her shoot her gaze over to him. "You've done so much for us. Given us a safe haven, helped us mature and become greater people, you even vilified yourself for our betterment! How could we kill you after all you've done for us?!"

As his words sank in, Junko realized her final motive had utterly failed and she collapsed into a nearby chair.

"…No…no…this wasn't…I didn't…or did I?..." she tried to speak but could only mumble.

A shadow appeared in front of her and she looked up to see Makoto 'Too Damn Hopeful' Naegi smiling down at her.

"You know, Junko, we really have to thank you."

"…No," she tried to protest but it did little good.

"With all you've done for us, you don't deserve to be called the Ultimate Despair," Makoto continued.

"…no, no, no…"

"In fact, I think that you could be called—"

"…for the love of all that is despair, please don't finish that—", she tried to stop him but failed.

"The Ultimate Hope!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

…

…

For several hours, Junko's wails echoed through the halls of Hope's Peak Academy.

* * *

 **-Six Years Later-**

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing…had become an Aunty.

"Aunty Junko! Aunty Junko! Where are you?"

"Oh dear god, they're coming back!" a slightly more mature Junko shouted as she heard the sound of her doom approaching. "Mukuro! You've got to hide me! Please! For old time's sake—".

"Nope."

In the bowels of the laundry room, Junko Enoshima tried to stuff herself inside one of the washers in order to avoid the horrid encounter she knew couldn't run from. However, before she could even get her head inside, she was discovered.

"I found her! She's in the laundry room!"

A look of pure terror spread over Junko's face as she turned to see turned to see four children dash right for her.

"Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" she shouted as they all crowded around her.

"Let's play Aunty Junko!" Mikado Naegi, a boy with big, expressive hazel eyes said to her. He had short, lavender hair, the same color as his mother Kyoko, but he held the same hopeful nature that was more common of his father, Makoto.

"My father just made a new video game for us. Would you like to join us in a game or two?" Celestia Yamada, a young girl with long black hair tied into drill shapes and bright red eyes, asked her. Her mother had taken up her real name, Taeko, and given her daughter the name in her place. In physical appearance, she was practically a perfect replica of her mother…but was a complete otaku at heart, just like her father, Hifumi.

"Or we could go for a swim! You've never actually swam with us before!" Kaori Hagakure, a girl with smooth brown hair, excitedly suggested. She had her mother, Aoi's, big blue eyes and darker complexion and exuded much more energy than any of the other kids. She bore little to no resemble to her father, Yasuhiro, which even he thought was kind of a blessing.

"What about baseball? Dad said he'd help if we needed more players," Jeff Kuwata, a boy with spiky blue-ish hair, offered with a happy grin. He was always making jokes or messing with the girls; a fact which his mother, Sayaka, reprimanded him for but his father, Leon, completely supported. His name had been the subject of much controversy between his parents but in the end, Leon smooth talked his way into his lover's ears and got her permission.

As the four of them continued to pester the ever annoyed Junko, she looked over to her sister and plainly said, "I'm begging you…please just kill me. Shoot me…shoot me in the face!"

"Nope."

Sitting nearby, Mukuro practically grinned as she read an eight-year old fashion magazine, keeping watch over her sister as she had promised to do five years ago. As penance for deceiving everyone, she volunteered to keep constant watch over her sister. This was to make sure Junko couldn't kill herself, thereby opening the front doors and expose them all to the terror of the apocalyptic world beyond.

And as it turned out, she didn't need to do much. Junko was committed to abstaining from suicide, as it wouldn't bring her any despair if she ended her life herself. Still, since there wasn't an extra room for her, and her name was technically on the door, Junko had been sharing a room with Mukuro. This had made it easier to keep tabs on her and let Mukuro spend "quality" time with the sister that had betrayed her.

But again, she didn't have to do much to torment her sister nowadays. The children had, for reasons that absolutely _no one_ could understand, taken a liking to the mean-spirited, disgraceful and utterly defeated Mastermind.

And Junko, well, she absolutely hated…everything.

"Go die in a fire you stupid brats!" she screamed at them, waving her arms furiously as they tugged on her shirt. Her attempts at frightening them were in vain, as they had long ago grown accustomed to her disposition.

"Oh, Aunty Junko, you say come up with funniest things to say," Celestia said with chuckle as she tugging harder.

"Yeah, like the time she told us she was going hang us from the ceiling and use as piñatas!" Kaori joined in, giggling right alongside him.

"And you can't forget the time she told us to go play in the mythical land of Traffic!" Jeff reminded them, earning another round of laughter.

Anger seethed from Junko's eyes and she abruptly pushed them all away. Taking a few steps back, she glared at all of them as she seethed, "What the hell is wrong with you little bastards?! Why do you always have to follow me around?! I hate you! I hate all of you! I'm evil! I'll kill all of you someday!"

As she finished her tirade, all of the kids fell silent and she felt that she may have _finally_ gotten through to them that she was as evil as she proclaimed. However, a chill ran down her spine as an old feeling of hopefulness began to exude from one of the kids.

"I don't think that's right," Mikado insisted, somehow channeling his father's hopeful aura. "Dad always said we shouldn't be afraid of you. That we should like you because without you, we wouldn't be here…or something like that. I don't really get it but if Dad says we should like you, you must be a good person!"

"Well, your Dad lied!" Junko fired back, not willing to lose anymore ground.

However, Mikado shook his head and said, "Nuh-uh! Mom agreed with him and Mom's a lot smarter than Dad, he told me so himself! So it has to be right!"

Junko jaw fell as she was defeated by the child's logic. Hanging her head in shame, she leaned against the wall behind her and slid down to the floor. Assuming the fetal position, she proceeded to block out the world as the kids approached her.

Before they got over to her again, Mukuro stepped in front of them and said, "Aunty Junko is tired. She needs to sleep. Run along and you can play with her once she's rested. Go and play with Uncle Byakuya and Aunty Toko instead, okay?"

The kids complained and protested but eventually gave up, reluctantly leaving the twin sisters alone in the laundry room.

"You okay?" Mukuro asked, resting a hand on Junko's shoulder.

"Fuck off."

"She's fine…" the soldier said to herself as she stood up and went back to her chair.

Slowly unwrapping herself from the fetal position, Junko sat on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. An awkward silence hung between them for what felt like ages. Just when Mukuro figured she'd drag her sister out for some "fresh" air, the despair-loving girl spoke up.

"You know sis, I'm gonna be 24 years old this Christmas…"

"We both are," Mukuro not to subtly reminded her.

"It's so stupid…" Junko continued, as if she hadn't heard her sister speak, "I figured I'd be dead before I turned 18. I never planned to get out of this school. Even if I had won the killing game and all of you ended up dead, I planned to execute myself along with the rest of you all. After all, after tasting the ultimate despair of executing those I cared about most, what would be left for me in the world?—"

A scoff interrupted her and she turned to glare at her sister. "Hmph. Despair isn't all there is to life, Junko. Ironically, you were the one who allowed me to see that." Standing up and tossing her magazine aside, Mukuro grabbed her sister's arm and pulled her to her feet. "Anyway, time to go and see how Sakura and Kiyotaka are doing. The birthing should be finished by now."

"I don't wanna…" Junko tried to protest but was pulled along as her sister dragged her from the room. "Seeing them together makes my stomach flip and hurts my brain…how the hell was it possible for those two to procreate anyway? Sakura is nothing but muscle!"

"Well, if you hadn't given us the de-virginizing motive—".

" _Shut…up…_ "

 **-In the Nurse's Office-**

Everyone crowded around the loving couple as they held their new bundle of joy. The birthing had been difficult, as it always was since none of them were trained to do this kind of thing. But with Makoto there to keep everyone hopeful and Kyoko maintaining order in place of Kiyotaka, somehow each birthing had gone beautifully over the last six years.

Sakura cradled the tiny baby in her arms while Kiyotaka wrapped his arms around both of them.

As usual, Makoto and Kyoko oversaw the procedure with Aoi and Taeko there just in case. Yasuhiro and Hifumi had entered after being told it was all over, as both of them were squeamish after witnessing "the miracle of birth" for themselves with their own children. The only ones not present were Byakuya and Toko, who were apparently keeping the kids away, as well as Mondo and Chihiro, who were investigating something.

When Mukuro dragged her sister into the room, everyone parted so that she could go and see the new baby. A few of them smirked at Junko attitude and she stuck out her tongue at them.

"Oh, how adorable! It's got Kiyotaka's eyebrows" Mukuro said, getting a look at the tiny baby, who had Sakura's white hair but Kiyotaka's enormous eyebrows.

"You know, if you don't shave them, he'll end up just like his father…tight ass and all…" Junko commented, glaring at the baby, knowing it would soon become another source of torment for her.

"She's a girl." The deep voice of Sakura corrected her.

"…I'm not apologizing," was all Junko uttered as she fell silent.

Just then, Mondo burst into the nurse's office, screaming at the top of his lungs, "We've got a serious fucking problem!"

His panicked, not to mention booming, voice instantly disturbed the sleeping baby in Sakura's arms. The baby girl began wailing, much to her mother and father's worry and everyone in the room, aside from Junko glared at Mondo angrily.

"I never thought I'd say this but…good job, Mondo!" Junko said with a thumps up before letting this small moment of pleasure enthrall her. "Ah, such despair…"

She didn't get much time to enjoy it before Mukuro smacked her on the back of the head. Grunting and glaring at her sister, she reluctantly fell silent as the baby was rocked back to sleep and Mondo motioned for everyone, aside from Kiyotaka and Sakura, to head outside the room. Leaving the newfound parents to attend to their child, they all made their way to the cafeteria, where Chihiro was waiting.

"I assume Mondo told you how fucked we are now?" the programmer asked as they entered. Junko made a mental note that she did enjoy Chihiro's new vocabulary, picked up from all the time the programmer spent with Mondo.

"No, he didn't. What's going on?" Makoto inquired, nervous that Chihiro seemed as flustered as Mondo was. Before that, Chihiro sent a glare toward the biker and shook her head.

"Mondo…I gave you one job—".

"I woke up the baby! It wasn't my fault! No one told me a baby was gonna be born today!"

"It was a premature birth, Mondo. No one knew it was coming today," Chihiro said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"So how is it my fault?!" the biker tried to defend but could do nothing as his companion averted her gaze.

"Never mind, we'll talk about that later. We need to tell them how fucked we are."

"Oh, yeah! Because we are _super fucked_!" Mondo concurred.

From the back of the crowd, a hand shot up and no one was surprised to hear, "Just asking but, uh, how super fucked are we? Are we so super special fucked that we have to kill me to escape?"

Turning around, Mukuro face palmed as Junko stared at them with despair-filled eyes, praying that the worst had happened.

"Actually…" everyone gasped and Junko practically beamed as Chihiro continued to explain. "We're running low on food. Water we've got plenty of…I think. But the food stores aren't getting replenished like they used to."

"Yeah, I mean, we ran out of pancake mix a while back but we were still getting fruits and veggies and stuff 'til this morning," Mondo further elaborated.

"That's because the automated subterranean garden below the school must have finally shut down," Junko explained, making everyone glare at her. "It's hardly unexpected. The system's been working tirelessly without repair or maintenance for eight years now."

"Can't we go down and fix it?" Aoi suggested, trying to be optimistic. "With Mondo and Chihiro working together, I'm sure we could find a way to—".

"Sorry but," Junko cut in, a devilish smirk forming on her lips. "I collapsed the only path leading to the subterranean garden before I revealed myself to you six years ago. I figured that, in case this bullshit scenario actually came true, which if fucking did, I should have a backup plan."

"So, if what Junko's saying is true, then…" Makoto trailed off, not needing to finish his sentence.

"We don't have much time," Kyoko carried on for him, her analytical nature still quite sharp and her nerves calm as ever. "We have plenty of food for the next few weeks but not enough to keep feeding 20 people for more than about a month—".

"That…is…awesome!" Junko shrilled, throwing her head back as she cackled. Lowering her gaze, she took in the horrified visage of her classmates as they realized that their time was coming to an end. "After six _loooooooong_ years of waiting…my final gambit is coming true! We all get to starve…together! You! Me! The little brats! Even the tiny baby, especially the tiny baby! Oh, I can't wait to see the utter despair on their faces when I tell them that—".

A fist connected to the side of her face, causing her to fling back into the wall. Her vision swam as she looked up to see Mondo, as expected, standing over her, cracking his knuckles.

"You little bitch! Fix this! I know you have to know how! If you don't get to fixin' this, I'll tear you to fucking shreds!" Mondo shouted as he raised his fist again.

Before he could let it fly, however, Yasuhiro, Hifumi and Makoto leapt onto him, holding him back as Junko giggled despairingly to herself. Soon her giggled turned to a chuckle, a chuckle into laughter, and finally a despair-filled cackling.

"Upupupupupupu! You already know how to fix this! Just let him go and have him bash my brains in!"

Everyone froze as her words registered in their ears. Junko could see that, for the first time in six years, her motive of escape was actually being considered by those bastards. They would regret having forced her to play nice for so long. It was time for her to finally get the despair she craved so dearly.

"Just one good swing and my gray matter will stain the walls…and you'll all get to leave here! Sure, it's probably an apocalyptic wasteland by now and most of you probably won't survive the first night, but look on the bright side: at least you won't _starve to death_."

Before she even had time to enjoy the despair that would ravish their faces, something unprecedented happened.

A ferocious explosion sudden shook the entire school and almost everyone lost their footing. Junko fell back against the wall, her eyes shooting toward the cafeteria door.

"T-That came from the main hall!" Makoto shouted as Kyoko pulled him to his feet. "Come on, everyone! We need to see what's going on!"

"Right!"

Without question, everyone piled out of the room, leaving only Junko still leaning against the wall as support. Rage slowly consumed her as she realized that, once again, something was interfering with her pursuit of despair. Not taking this lying down, she pushed off the wall and gave chase.

"W-Wait up, you bastards! What about my despair?!"

 **-In the Main Hall-**

"Stay back, kids! Don't go near that hole!" Byakuya Togami said, ushering the children behind him with the help of Toko, who was happy that no blood had been spilled, lest the children would have gotten to play with Aunty Genocider again.

In front of them, a large hold had been blown out of the vault-like door that had kept them separated from the outside world for many years. Streams of sunlight shown through and the children were completely intoxicated by the strange warmth it had. Curiosity overpowering reason, Jeff Kuwata couldn't stop himself from braking away from Byakuya's grip and dashing toward the outside world.

"Jeff _Marlon Brando_ Kuwata! You get away from that place right now!" the voice of his mother, Sayaka, echoed through the hall, stopping him instantly.

Turning around Jeff saw both his Mom and Dad, who had may or may not have been in the process of trying to give him a little brother or sister to play with, ran into the room and snatched him up, pulling him far away from the hole in the door.

"Awww, I hate it when Mom uses my full name…" Jeff complained as his parents finally let go of him.

"Trust me, Jeff, I hate it too…" Sayaka seethed, sending a quick glare toward her husband, Leon, who looked entirely too pleased about the name calling situation.

"Hey, you agreed to it. It's not my fault you fell to my…devilish charms," he said with a wink.

Rolling her eyes, she knew it wasn't exactly wrong and thus decided to focus on the matter at hand. As if on cue, Makoto and the others rushed into the room, followed quickly by Kiyotaka, who had left Sakura to care for the newborn. And last but not least, Junko wandered into the room, eyes widened in shock.

"No…it can't be…my motive…" she whimpered, realizing that even her final gambit had failed.

Before she had time to feel anything about what had happened, a silhouette appeared in the hole in the door. At once, everyone was on guard, not knowing who or what was invading their sanctuary. However, as the figure slowly came closer, they saw that it was young man, in his early twenties, wearing a white button up shirt and black pants, with short brown hair that had a single spike in the center. As he came into full view, Junko gasped as she recognized the figure.

"I-Izuru! Izuru Kamakura!" she shouted, overjoyed to see her protégé again. And in an instant, her despair returned as she knew what his return had to signify. "I…I can't believe you're here! You must be here to—wait, did you get a haircut?"

The young man before them came to a sudden stop, opening his eyes and showcasing a pair burning golden irises that stunned everyone into silence. And then…he spoke:

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Izuru Kamakura. My name is…Hajime Hinata! And I'm here to rescue all of you!"

Junko's jaw dropped and her eyes bulged as she saw that, much to her disbelief, it seemed that Izuru had reverted back to his original persona.

"B-B-But…how…why…where…when…?" she stuttered, unsure of how or why this was happening.

"I know you must all have a lot of questions but let's get out of here for now. The sun feels great today," Hajime said to everyone pointing toward the hole leading to the outside. "I think it's time you guys got some real fresh air."

Everyone hesitated at first, even Makoto who seemed the most trusting of this man was inclined to stay still. However, the incessant persistence of the children eventually won out and slowly but surely, they all ventured out the hole and into the world beyond.

What awaited them was something out of a fairy tale…

A beautiful suburban area, complete with large trees and huge lawns of green grass stretched out before them. Medium sized buildings, clean and majestic, towered in the distance. Sunlight shined through the entire area and nothing but peace and serenity could be seen as far as the eye could see. It was as if the entire world had been rebuilt to be as beautiful and magical as possible.

With a bit more insistence from the children, the parents reluctantly let go of the vice-like grip on their kids' hands, allowing their children to run through the grassy park area that was just across the street from the academy.

" _What the fucking fuck_?!" Junko screamed as she looked around, not seeing a hint of the destruction or despair she'd engulfed the world in.

"Surprised, Junko?" Hajime said with a smile. "Not exactly what you expected is it?"

"…How…how did you…?" she barely uttered, still completely shocked by this development.

"Well, it was all thanks to you, actually." Hajime told her, earning an even more confused glance than he'd expected. "After you turned off the cameras in the school, we of the Ultimate Despair thought you were dead. Most of us committed suicide but the survivors from Class 77 and I did not. We were lost at first but then, I began to piece things together."

"I don't like where this is going…" Junko whispered as she continued to listen.

Smiling warmly, Hajime continued, "You made the entire world focus all of their hatred on you. And sure, a lot of people died because of the despair that engulfed the world. However, the instant you disappeared, the world lost all sense of who or what to blame for it. Governments were all but abolished and the survivors were forced to band together to rebuild the world. World peace has become a reality. There are no wars, no racism, and no hatred…only blissful peace."

"But that's why I left you guys outside!" Junko protested. "So that you could—".

"Overcome our own despair and lead the world to a brighter future!" Hajime cut her off, turning away just as her expression turned to utter disbelief. "It certainly wasn't easy, but once you were gone, we realized how petty our despair really was. Even I managed to regain my true self and forge my own path…all because you broke us down and let us build ourselves back up again!"

Junko's arms hung at her sides as her brain refused to process the information.

"It's happening again…it's happening a-fucking-gain!" she shouted, her eyes narrowing dangerous. She couldn't let it happen again! This would _not_ be like last time! "You've got that wrong! I'm evil! I destroyed the world because my fetish for despair needed to be satiated and I enjoyed it! I'm the mastermind behind the World's Most Despair Inducing Event! I'm the most despicable person in the entire—!"

"Allow me to cut through those words!" Hajime countered, cutting her off with a finger point. "Junko, despite all that you've said. And despite all that you _may_ have intended…you have become far more than even you imagined!"

Shifting his feet, he pointed his hand out toward the vast landscape, making Junko's eyes follow his gesture. Looking out to the surrounding buildings all around the park area, the same image of an immaculate-looking person was posted on various walls and billboards. It took the despair-loving woman a moment to realize that the person on each of them was…a picture of her!

It was a beautiful picture from her modeling days. She was wearing a bright red strapless dress, her hair was tied up in her usual style but with two bright blue ribbons instead of Monokuma hairclips, and she had the most adoring smile on her lips. It was an image that had haunted Junko's nightmares for years…it was just so damn hopeful and wondrous that even _she_ couldn't deny how it made her heart flutter. She had thought she'd destroyed it when the world ended…some pervert probably had an extra copy or something…fucking perverts!

"This is what you have become to the world, Junko Enoshima!" the voice of Hajime snapped her out of her trance, making her glare at him as she felt déjà vu coming on.

"No…" she seethed.

"Because of your selfless sacrifice and incredible planning—".

"No…no…no…"

"—you have become the world's—".

"I hate your life…"

"—Ultimate Hope for the Future!"

…

…

"I don't even care anymore…" Junko muttered as she fell backward onto the grass and stared up at the sky.

* * *

 **10 Years Later:**

"Well...didn't see this coming."

Junko Enoshima, Mastermind of the School of Mutual Killing and the World's Most Despair Inducing Event…won the Noble Peace Prize.

"Eh, fuck it…at least I got a trophy."

* * *

 **The End…?**

 **Hello, my beautiful readers! I know that didn't update "Never Say Never" today, but rest assured, the new chapter is coming. This is a fun little story that I wanted to release for a while and my beta and I have been using it to imagine all kinds of hilarious outcomes in the canon story.**

 **By the way, if you are seeing this story and have not read "Never Say Never", this is my shameless plug!** **But seriously, it's a different take on the canon story in which the students of the first game band together against the Mastermind!**

 **Also, please check out my beta, Dixxy Mouri, and her story "Haunted". It's about what happens to the students of the first game** _ **after**_ **their untimely deaths. She was a big inspiration for my story and I think you'd enjoy it if you've enjoyed either of mine.**

 **Both of these stories are M-rated so you'll have to turn off the filter and go check them out!**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading this little one-shot and please enjoy our other stories as well! Have a great day and keep on smiling, my beautiful readers!**


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